EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy has divulged a personal tie to her iconic character that even she wasn’t aware of.

The 41-year-old actress recently discovered the connection to her beloved on-screen persona. Natalie, who played Sonia Fowler on the soap, signed off from EastEnders last week, alongside her on-screen sister Bianca (played by Patsy Palmer), as well as her daughters Bex (portrayed by Jasmine Armfield) and baby Julia.

But during an episode of her podcast Life with Nat, she shared an interesting revelation about her connection to her character’s newborn.

Natalie recounted: “I had tea and a very long chat and breakfast with lovely Julia my friend, the other morning we were there for three hours.”

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She described the encounter as a “lovely sunny morning, coffees, breakfast, other coffees, soft drinks”. She continued: “I just didn’t even think – she said ‘I had all these messages saying ahh the baby’s after you’.

“And I thought ‘Oh yeah’ Sonia had a baby called Julia and I never put the two and two together.” Natalie went on to say that her friend Julia “doesn’t watch EastEnders” but was nonetheless inundated with messages from viewers who made the link.

Interestingly, the choice of name for Sonia’s baby wasn’t a nod to Natalie’s friend but rather a homage to EastEnders’ original creator, Julia Smith. As one of the most enduring characters in the show, Natalie has now departed Walford after an impressive 30 years, leaving fans feeling a sense of loss at her exit, reports Plymouth Live.

Sonia Fowler actress Natalie Cassidy

Sonia Fowler actress Natalie Cassidy bowed out of EastEnders on Thursday night (Image: BBC/Eastenders)
But Natalie declared she’s “never going to say goodbye” to her iconic role as Sonia Fowler after an intermittent tenure in Albert Square. In the podcast episode, which was recorded before her final bow, she shared: “My last week I think is this week on the telly”, and mentioned that concluding filming will be “really nice”.

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Back in February, Sonia revealed her daughter’s name, which was influenced by fans who voted for the newborn’s name. The options were Julia and Toni, both heartfelt tributes to the soap’s original creators, Julia Smith and Tony Holland.

Julia, a producer, and script editor Tony first teamed up in 1971, working on various projects including the medical drama Angels. It was in 1983 that the BBC approached them to develop a London-based soap opera.

Sonia in EastEnders

Sonia is a beloved character in EastEnders (Image: BBC)
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This collaboration led to the birth of EastEnders two years later. They remained with the show for four years until creative differences with BBC executives over the storyline of Den Watts prompted their exit.

EastEnders has frequently honoured Julia and Tony throughout its history. A poignant, slowed rendition of the show’s famous theme tune, known as Julia’s theme, is named in memory of Julia, who died of cancer in 1997.

Tony’s legacy continued until his passing in 2007. Their contributions were also immortalised during the 2015 live week, with their names etched into a wall, forever linking them to the beloved soap.